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EP0196152A2 Expired / Lapsed EP ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Testing digital integrated circuits

Assignee: Fujitsu Services Ltd
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Filing: 1986-01-29
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2006-01-29
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Abstract

Abstract A digital integrated circuit includes a register (10) having a normal mode of operation in which it acts as a parallel input/output register. The register also has a second mode of operation in which it acts as a pseudo-random number generator, and a third mode in which it is connected as a circular shift register. This allows the register to be used for producing a variety of different test sequences for testing other parts of the circuits e.g. for testing a programmable logic array included in the circuit.

Inventors

  • 👤 Stuart George Hale
  • 👤 Finbar Naven

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction EP
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-07 19:35
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01R; G01R31/00; G01R31/28; G01R31/317; G01R31/3181; G01R31/3183; G01R31/318385; G01R31/31813; G01R31/3185; G01R31/318533; G01R31/318544; G01R31/318547; G01R31/318516; G06; G06F; G06F11/00; G06F11/22; G06F11/26; G06F11/27

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim 74 words
A digital integrated circuit including at least one register (10) which is operable in a first mode in which it acts as a parallel input/output register, and in a second mode in which it acts as a pseudo-random number generator for producing test patterns for the circuit, characterised in that the register is also operable in a third mode in which it acts as a circular shift register for producing circularly shifting test patterns.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 74 words
A digital integrated circuit including at least one register (10) which is operable in a first mode in which it acts as a parallel input/output register, and in a second mode in which it acts as a pseudo-random number generator for producing test patterns for the circuit, characterised in that the register is also operable in a third mode in which it acts as a circular shift register for producing circularly shifting test patterns.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 19 words
A circuit according to claim 1 including a programmable logic array having said register (10) as an input register.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 35 words
A circuit according to claim 1 or 2 wherein said register is one of a plurality of registers (A-D) each of which is operable in any one of the three modes specified in claim 1.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 38 words
A circuit according to claim 3, having a normal operating state in which all the registers are in the first mode, and a test state in which each register is independently operable in the second or third mode.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 29 words
A circuit according to claim 4 wherein, in the test state, each register is alternatively operable in a further mode in which it acts as a digital signature analyzer.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 39 words
A circuit according to any one of claims 3, 4 or 5, having a further state in which all the registers (A-D) are connected together in series to form a serial shift path between a pair of external terminals.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 62 words
A circuit according to any preceding claim, including an exclusive-OR network (15) connected to the outputs of selected stages of the register (10), and a multiplexer (14) for selecting either the output of the exclusive-OR network (15) or the output of the last stage (B7) of the register, for feeding back to the input of the first stage (BO) of the register.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 19 words
A circuit according to claim 7 including an inverter circuit for selectively inverting the output of said multiplexer (14).
Claim 10
Independent Claim 51 words
A method of operating a circuit according to any preceding claim comprising the steps of loading into the register (10) a bit pattern consisting of a single bit of one binary value, the other bits all being of the other binary value, and then operating the register in the third mode.

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